Journey to Bancar
by Rejected Candycane
Summary: Inspired by the 3 Doors Down song "It's Not My Time". Please read the Author's Note at the beginning! This is a second draft, and I think it has improved, thanks to theeyeoftheuniverse's help. Hope you like this!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: If you are possibly a Doctor Who fan reading this, please excuse my lack of correct terminology. It's partially the reason I've posted it here, so you can correct me in any way you can. But the other reason is to get some feedback (hopefully positive) on the writing.

_As if he had received an electric shock, the Doctor scrambled backwards away from the tardis, which had begun to rumble and smoke violently. A high pitched sound was protruding from somewhere in the consol's center, and the monitor's screen flickered grey and black lines. Stumbling over a wire on the floor, the Doctor lunged for the nearest immobile object, and barely steadied himself.  
What the hell was that?, he thought to himself, as his breathing and heart rate increased. He eyed the Tardis's monitor warily, half-hoping he had imagined the signal, but his conscience, and the Tardis' rumbling, assured him it had in fact been real. The signal had been the strongest the Doctor had ever received in all of his 904 years of life. Stronger than any Dalek warning signal he had ever had the displeasure of receiving. And it had been so close, signifying that whatever was sending the signal was not far from the Tardis itself. The Doctor tried to steady his breathing, and think logically for a moment. In a quick, unsteady stride, he made for the control panel, pounding and pushing as many buttons as his shaking fingers could find, but the smoke and shaking did not cease. He looked up, and breathlessly tried to reason with the wild machine.  
"Come on...come on...Steady now...".  
But no matter what the Doctor did, no matter what levers he pulled or switches he flicked, the machine did not cease its rumbling and roaring. Nor did the high-pitched sound, though it did seem to drop a note in pitch.  
Then, as if a power switch had been flicked off, everything came to an eerie silence, that left the Doctor hunched over the control panel, shoulders heaving, his right hand still resting on a button just beside the monitor. The lights above ticked, and everything seemed to return to normal activity.  
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_The Doctor slowly looked up from the panel, bewildered at the sudden silence and lack of abnormal activity. As he took a step sideways, prepared to restart the monitor, a loud crack and thud interrupted the silence.  
"Bloody Hell...", a small female voice exclaimed. The Doctor spun around to face a young girl clambering up from the floor, dusting her pants off, and looking frantically around the room. Her vibrant blue hair danced just above her shoulders as she looked about, her wide blue eyes taking in the sight before her. "What the...", she began, but was cut off at the sight of the looming Doctor, who stood wide-eyed, absorbing the girl's mysterious, and slightly stunning appearance.  
"Who the hell are you?", they asked at the same time.  
"You first", the girl demanded, taking a cautious step forward.  
"You're the one who's popped up out of nowhere...", the Doctor retorted, reaching into his pocket for his sonic screwdriver. His fist clenched over it as the girl spoke.  
"Elexa." Her voice seemed to ring, yet was so sturdy and sure, almost proud. "And you are...?"  
The Doctor tightened his grip on the screwdriver in his coat pocket.  
"I'm...the Doctor."  
The cautious expression on the girl's face lightened, and a slanted smile formed on her pale lips.  
"You're the Doctor?" She began pacing within the space she had just appeared in, looking the Doctor up and down. He began to feel like an army recruit being observed by an officer during an inspection.  
"Brilliant, you look just like I've always thought you would. Brown coat, blue suit...ah, the trainers! Love the trainers." She continued to pace until the Tardis monitor gave off a hum as it scanned for signals. Her attention darted towards the consol, and in moments she was standing beside it, her nose pressed up against the screen. As if a cloud had passed over her face, her eyes turned a gloomy shade of grey, her skin mirroring the shadowy color. Her hands clenched onto the control panel, a fierce flame erupting in her eyes.  
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_At first, the Doctor hadn't noticed that she had spoken; he had thought it was another hum from the Tardis, but her piercing eyes and haunted expression alerted him. She repeated, sensing that he hadn't caught a word she had said. But this time, the vibrating voice sounded desperate.  
"My planet is in danger. You must help me! Turn this on, so I can send a signal to Bancar and tell them that I have help-"  
"I cannot help you." _Which was true. It wasn't like he was running from helping someone in need. He really couldn't help. That was part of the curse of the Time Lords- you must always work alone._  
"Please leave."  
Elexa looked up from the screen once more- this time, a confused, yet cold look met the Doctor's stern face.  
"No."  
Before he could fight it, before he could say anything, the Doctor strided towards the Tardis, grabbing her by the shoulders and lightly pushing her out of the way. She tripped backwards over the steps, but immediately resumed a crouching position, like a lion preparing to pounce.  
Something inside the Doctor had snapped; that same Dark feeling he had felt before, like the time he nearly shot a man who had killed his daughter. A powerful anger that he could not control, but that was soon overtaken by an immense feeling of compassion and pity. This young girl undeniably seemed familiar. Her situation tragic, and he could not deny that either. The Doctor eyed the space girl who was now back on her feet, visibly shaking from head to toe. Her glaring eyes were back to a fiery blue, and for a moment, the Doctor swore she was about to charge at him. He diverted his eyes, and gradually reached towards the Tardis panel.  
Elexa's shaking didn't cease as she continued to watch his every move.  
"Please…"  
The desperation and lifelessness in the voice sent a chill up the Doctor's spine. He started.  
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_"There is nothing I can do for you."  
"You're wrong. There's plenty you could do. You just have to help me." She slowly straightened her posture, her eye color fading a bit, but barely. "I know what must be done, I just can't do it alone."  
"Bancar...", Elexa urged, suddenly running up to the Doctor, pulling her face just inches from his.  
The Doctor made his decision. He released himself, turned to the consol, and began typing in the name "Bancar". Before he could finish, Elexa bounced next to him and an excited voice encouraged him.  
"Come on, Doctor! There's little time!"  
"I'm going as fast as I can." Surprised at the blank tone of his voice, the Doctor cleared his throat. "Just a few more light-years and we'll be there."  
There was a sudden sound, like a whimper, and two arms thrust themselves tightly around his neck. He briefly felt unsteady breathing against the side of his neck, and a muffled "thank you". Before he could object, Elexa was standing still beside him, her arms gone from around his neck and now at her sides. She was staring intently at the screen, watching the image of her planet, Bancar, nearing closer._


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO- BRIGHTWOOD

"Nearly there. Elexa, please let go of my arm, I'm going as fast as I can."

They had been traveling for 10 minutes, and Elexa was growing restless as she watched her planet growing larger on the Tardis' screen. The Doctor wretched his arm from her grasp and punched a few more keys on the panel. "Where do we start when we get there?"  
"We need to land in Brightwood. That's where the Daleks are supposedly starting their attack."

"DALEK'S?!" the Doctor spun on the spot, his mind whirling. "You never mentioned that it was Daleks that were invading Bancar!"

"What did you think it was, an army of K9's??"

"And how exactly are we going to ward them off?", the Doctor did a double take. "Wait, why am I asking you, you're just young…"

"Excuse me, I am 735 years old! I am NOT young."

"735? Are you really?", the Doctor had to admit, it wasn't what he had expected.

Elexa nodded proudly. "That's only 169 years younger than you, so watch it."

"But I still don't know what to do…what if we get attacked as soon as we arrive?"

"Then I guess we'll just have to greet them warmly and hope they spare our lives!"

The Doctor smiled, feeling slightly uplifted. It was nice to smile, it had been a long time since he felt even remotely happy. After leaving Rose with his Human clone, and Donna back at her grandparents' house, he had begun to feel more alone than ever. Just him and his Tardis, saving Earth one day at a time. Damn curse, he thought to himself.

After what had felt like hours, the Tardis came to a violent halt, knocking both the Doctor and Elexa off their feet and onto the floor.

"Come on," the Doctor ordered, and helped Elexa to her feet. They both charged towards the door, and exited the Tardis onto a vast grey landscape. The door shut and clicked behind them, and the Doctor reached his hand into his coat pocket, pulling out his sonic screwdriver.

"Where are we?", he asked. He surely had never been to this planet before, as shocking as it felt to admit it. In all his 904 years of being a Time Lord, he had missed this little spot somehow.

"Just outside of Brightwood, somewhere in the countryside. The town should be just-", she glanced up at the sunless sky. "-due North." She turned on the spot, grabbing the Doctor's arm and leading him in the opposite direction to which they had been standing. They started at a run, which soon turned into a sprint. Sparkling black sand flew from beneath their shoes as they fled Northerly, towards a distant black building that Elexa had recognized as the governor of Brightwood's Headquarters.

Panting and covered in sand, Elexa and the Doctor reached the outskirts of the city of Brightwood. Few buildings existed around the outer perimeters, but the center of the city was bustling with life. Flying automobiles zoomed overhead, and several Brightwood citizens hustled around the streets, darting from one building to the next. Some, the Doctor couldn't help but notice, would run a few feet then disappear, only to reappear a few yards away. Elexa pulled the Doctor out of the way of a man who had decided to reappear right in front of them, and hadn't bothered to say 'excuse me'.

"How-", the Doctor began to ask. But Elexa seemed to know what was boggling him.

"Bancarons, that's what we're called, have various…skills. When we're young, our reflexes are brilliantly advanced- we can get anywhere in split seconds. As adults, our talents are more refined. We develop the ability to appear and disappear anywhere we wish. Among other things, but we'll get to that later."

"Ahh. " The Doctor watched as more Bancarons appeared and disappeared from one side of the street to the other. He wondered how long it would be before Elexa reached the age where she could do that, and hoped it wasn't anytime soon. The last thing he needed was her to appear right as his side when he thought he was alone.

A tall man emerged from a nearby building, and gave the Doctor a warning look that made him raise an eyebrow. But before he could ask Elexa what that was all about, she had stopped short in front of the tall, black building they had spotted while crossing the desert.

"We're here," she announced as she held an intricately detailed door open for him.

The Doctor entered, with Elexa following closely behind him. He heard her scuffle her shoes on the bottom of the door frame to scrape off excess sand before she reappeared at his side.

"The governor's office is upstairs, I think." Elexa lead the way to a black marble staircase, nodding politely to a passing, sharp-dressed Ood. The Doctor examined the interior of the office building as he ascended the stairs several steps behind Elexa. It looked quite old fashioned, but in a gothic sort of tone. Tall paintings of unfamiliar people hung on the wall, each of which seemed to watch you as you passed. There were no doors in the entrance hallway, only walls donning the eerie paintings. The only things the Doctor could see that weren't black were the silvery chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, each with a set of partially melted candles burning white flames. A strip of black carpeting ran up the center of the staircase, and ended at the top, where a black hardwood floor took over for the marble. He caught up with Elexa who was now waiting quietly outside a black door at the end of another hallway. The door was barely noticeable, as it camouflaged with the dark walls and floor.

Elexa knocked one finger on the door, and quickly straightened her shirt. The Doctor stepped cautiously closer, and put his sonic screwdriver back in his pocket.

There was a cough and a muffle of voices from behind the door before it swung open. A round man in a black tuxedo stood in the doorway, holding tightly to the knob on the other side.

"Elexa." It was more of an acknowledgement than a greeting.

"Sir, we must speak with you. It concerns the security and safety of your city and all of Bancar."

"Elexa, what did I tell you before…"

"This is urgent, sir!"

The man eyed Elexa curiously, but stepped back to let them through. With an agitated sigh, he muttered, "Please enter."

The Doctor and Elexa entered slowly as the man motioned towards two empty leather chairs at the far end of the room.

"Thank you, governor."

"Now, what's this all about?". The governor stood to the left of the chair Elexa had sat in.

"Sir, you no doubt know that the Daleks are coming-"

"Yes, I have just received notice before you arrived. They're in Pamada right now… or are you here to tell me they've arrived?"

"No, sir, they are not here yet. But I am here to help you, to fight them off when they get here, or before, if possible."

The man considered Elexa for a moment, and only just seemed to realize the Doctor's presence.

"Who are you?"

"This is the Doctor, he is here to help us." Elexa did not break eye contact with the governor, and when he failed to say anything more, she shot from her seat.

"Sir, we need to do something soon! Have you sent reinforcements out yet? To protect the border?"

"Yes, Elexa, please sit down! Everything is set. There is nothing more to fret about, we must just let events play out as they will."

"'Let the events play out as they will'? Let the Daleks invade this city and destroy all you know?"

"That is not what I mean. I have called for assistance, and they have arrived. They are waiting outside."

A heavy knock on the door verified this.

"Please enter, Smova."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: This is very loosely edited, not perfect, but it's what I have. I just wanted to get things moving along. Thanks for stopping by!**

**Chapter Three**

The door swung open, and an eerie chill swept through the room. A thin, tall man, accompanied by an Ood in a black suit, strode into the room dignifiedly, his long pointed nose in the air.

"Thank you for coming, Smova". The governor seemed nervous as he inclined his head at the mysterious visitor and his Ood companion, who was surveying the crimson colored room.

The Doctor and Elexa stepped from their seats, and soon Smova and the Ood had taken their place.

"I am glad I can offer my assistance", Smova replied.

"Elexa, Doctor, would you mind giving us a minute alone? We have some matters to discuss."

Elexa nodded, and signaled for the Doctor to follow her into the dark hallway.

Closing the door behind her, the Doctor crooked his head to catch a last glimpse of the two men and the Ood, who were exchanging uncertain looks.

"I know that man…Well, he's not really a man, he's a Moval- one of the only space creatures that can change their entire appearance at will", the Doctor murmured. "I've met him before."

"When?"

"A long time ago. I don't remember the exact place or time, but I have met him." Something heavy rested in the pit of his stomach.

"And the Ood?"

The Doctor shot her a surprised look.

"How do you know what an Ood is?"

"I've been around a lot more than you know, Doctor. I haven't lived under a rock my whole life."

The Doctor pressed his ear lightly to the door. "I'm guessing the Ood is his assistant."

A few deep hums came from behind the door, and a sudden chair shifting on the hardwood floor. A moment later, someone was turning the doorknob. The Doctor took a quick step back.

As Smova and the Ood emerged, they smiled politely at Elexa and the Doctor.

"And I extend my invitation to you both as well", Smova jeered.

"Invitation?" Elexa asked, puzzled.

"Yes. To my monthly gathering. A party, of sorts. I do wish you would come, and perhaps we could…talk."

He now turned to the Doctor, eyeing him. Some familiar gleam filled Smova's black eyes, which seemed to be reading the Doctor's soul.

"I uh...", he hesitated. Smova inclined his head expectantly. "I-"  
"What the Doctor is trying to say is that we'd love to come!", Elexa interjected, quickly flashing an assuring smile at the Doctor from over Smova's shoulder.  
Smova turned on the spot to face Elexa, then turned back to the Doctor.  
"Fabulous!", he exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "Well, I look forward to your company. Come, Gregor, we have business to attend to...". And with that, the Ood to his left gave a curtly nod and followed Smova out of the hall and down the stairs to the lobby.

"I think it's time you both left. Come, there is a room available on the third floor." The governor headed towards a rusty armored knight across the hall. Placing his hand on the helmet, he motioned for the Doctor and Elexa to join him. They too, placed their hands on the head of the knight, soon felt the room spin. Before they could blink, they were standing in what looked like a 1920's hotel room, decked out in antiques and tattered furniture.

"You will find all your necessities in this room. Smova's gathering is tomorrow afternoon. I wouldn't be late." He seemed to be directing the last bit at Elexa, whose eyes had narrowed. "Good night".

He disappeared on the spot, leaving the Doctor and Elexa facing each other in the strange room.  
The Doctor rounded on Elexa, who had plopped down on the frilly bed, admiring the pillows.  
"We can't go to that party! What do you think you're doing?"  
"Easy, there, Doctor. Everything will work out perfectly, I know these creatures. They wouldn't harm us if we asked them to." Elexa crossed her arms behind her head and grinned.  
"You seem to know your Kreludians well. How can you be so sure?"  
"My family used to know a Kreludian. A funny little old man, he worked in the local bank. He, too, loved parties. It's part of the Kreludian way...Kreludians are at their most vulnerable when in a party atmosphere...". She shot up into sitting position.  
Seeing where she was going, a smile formed on the Doctor's lips. Elexa seemed to feed on his attentiveness, as her speed picked up and her tone sounded madly enthusiastic.  
"We have to make sure that Smova and his guests have a grand old time at the party, that way we can find out if our suspicions are justified. "


End file.
